Wrench.



J. W. WALTERS. WRENCH.

. APPLICATION FILED IAN14| |914. 1,155,979.

Patented 001;. 5, 1915.

vTE lll# raras TENT orion.

JOHN WILLIAM WALTEIzs, or'NE'vADA, MISSOURI,

WRENCH.

Applicatron led January 14,1914. SerialA No. 812,115.

vembody a handle having a shank and a stationary jaw connected with theshank, a movable jaw arranged upon the shank and having an inwardlyextending stem which is retained within the handle and normally forcedinto locked position therein, simple means beingl provided for unlockingthe stem to permit of the same being moved to bring the jaws intoengaging position, and to permit of the automatic locking of the shankwhen the said jaws are in the said engaging position.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a wrench constructedin accordance with the present invention, Fig. 2 is a centrallongitudinal sectional view of the same, and Fig. 3 is a transversesectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Vhile in the accompanying drawing, I have illustrated the shank of theiXed jaw as forming a separable part from the handle of my wrench, it isto be understood that if desired, the fixed jaw, its shank and thehandle may be constructed integral if desired.

Referring now to the showing of the drawings, 1 designates the head orjaw of the stationary member, 2 the shank which is preferably formedwith the head, and 3 the handle which is connected with the shank. Thehandle, in the present instance, includes a pair of side plates whichare connected to the opposite sides of the shank 2 at the inner endthereof. The side plates are further provided with a connecting memberwhich may be integrally formed with the said sides, or connected theretoas desired. lll/'ith such an arrangement, it will be noted that thehandle, beyond its connection with the shank 2, provides a chamber orpassage, which is designated by the numeral 4. The back edge of theshank within the passage 4 has attached thereto a rack bar 5, while theshank 2 is formed with a longitudinally extending slot or Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patented oet. 5,' 1915.

opening 6, one end of which communicates with the chamber 4 ofthehandle, and the 'said sha-nk, adjacentthe ropposite or outer end wallprovided by the slot has a projecting member 7 upon its krear side. Thismember 7 is illustrated as integral with the shank, but may b-e'madeseparable therefrom if desired.

The numeral 8 designates the movable jaw which is adapted to co-act withthe jaw or head 1 and which is provided with a slot or passage 9 wherebythe same may be ar- Y ranged upon the shank 2. The member 7 serves as astop to limit the movement of the jaw 8 in the direction of the handle3. As

has been stated, the stop 7 or the jaw 1` may be removably arranged uponthe shank 2, and preferably the jaw 1 is removed from the shank when thejaw 8 is to be arranged for slidable movement upon the said shank.

The jaw 8 is provided with a longitudinally extending stem 10 whichenters the passage 4 of the handle 3, and the said stem is provided withone or more teeth 11 that co-act with the teeth of the rack bar 5. Theconnecting member for the side plates of the handle, which is designatedby the numeral 12, has secured thereto one end of a bow-spring 13, theopposite end of the said spring being free to travel within a depressedportion 14 provided therefor in the said connecting member 12. Thebowspring bears against the end of the stem 10 which is at all timesarranged within the passage 4, and as a consequence forces the teeth 11into engagement between the teeth of the rack bar 5. The stem 10 isprovided with an angularly arranged pin 15 which passes through the slot6 in the shank 2, the said pin having its free end provided with a headwhich serves as athumb member which when contacted, will swing the teeth11 of the stem 10 out of engagement between the teeth of the rack bar,against the pressure of the spring 13, and permit of the jaw 8 beingmoved toward or away from the j aw 1 by pressure against the head on thepin 15.

By reference to the drawings it will be noted that the area of the slotor passage 9 is greatly in excess of the cross sectional diameter of theshank 2, and also that the stem 10 is not arranged at a right angle tothe head or movable jaw 8, but inclines vgradually from its connectionwith the jaw in a forward direction toward its inner end.

From the above description, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, the simplicity of the device as well as the advantages thereofwill, it is thought, be perfectly apparent to those skilled in the artto which such inventions appertain without further detailed description.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

In a wrench, a slotted shank having teeth upon one end thereof and ahandle secured to said end, a movable jaw carried by said shank andprovided with a stem having a toothed end slidable in said handle, meansfor normally maintaining the toothed end of the stem in engagement withthe toothed end of the shank, and a headed pin disposed within said slotand secured to said stem whereby the end of the stem may be depressedand longitudinal movement communicated thereto by said pin.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN WILLIAM WALTERS.

VVitness-es F. H. GLENN, A. L. ANcHoRs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

